Portfolio: Akcelerant passes audit

Akcelerant, an East Whiteland provider of connected software technology to the financial services industry, announced Tuesday it is in compliance with standards after the completion of its annual internal audit. Akcelerant’s operating policies are reviewed by Auditwex, a licensed Certified Public Accounting firm.

As part of the audit, a number of operating controls related to Akcelerant’s internal policies and multiple software product lines were examined. The controls include: environment security, backup and recovery, computer operations, data communications and transmission, application development, change management, disaster recovery preparedness, support operations, and more. The audit found all items to be in compliance.

“Akcelerant is committed to maintaining solid operating policies as it continues to grow,” commented Emily Steele, president of Akcelerant. “This annual audit gives our customers and business partners confidence in Akcelerant’s ability to operate effectively, and we are pleased to communicate that our policies continue to meet or exceed industry standards for the fifth consecutive year.”

The Hartford, Conn., company said it still expects to post a profit from continuing operations of $5.25 to $5.35 per share on sales of about $58 billion. Analysts, on average, expect a profit of $5.32 per share on $57.94 billion in revenue, according to a FactSet poll.

RECOGNIZED I: Melissa Capodanno of The Goddard School, 300 Carlisle Court in Exton, joined more than 400 Goddard School franchisees at the 2012 Goddard School National Franchisee Convention in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

There, Capodanno received several business awards and recognition for 10 years of being in business.

“It was exciting to be recognized at this year’s convention. For the past 25 years, The Goddard School has nurtured children into respectful, confident and joyful learners, and we are focused on raising the bar even higher over the next 25 years,” said Capodanno.

RECOGNIZED II: The Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce said Tuesday that J. William Mills III, regional president for Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey PNC, will receive the 2012 William Penn Award, the highest honor the chamber bestows on a business executive in Greater Philadelphia.

The award, which has been given annually since 1949, recognizes an individual for his or her outstanding contributions toward the betterment of the region, professional accomplishments, and commitment to charity as well as to the community. Mills will be honored on April 19 during a gala event hosted at the Hyatt at The Bellevue in Philadelphia.

Mills has served the Greater Philadelphia community as both a civic and private sector leader for more than 30 years. Currently, he serves on the board of directors of Independence Blue Cross, The United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, American Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania and Temple University. He also serves on the Thomas Skelton Harrison Foundation and the Executive Committee of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce Board.

“Bill Mills has dedicated so much time to bettering the Greater Philadelphia community,” said Rob Wonderling, GPCC president and CEO. “I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with Bill, as he provides tremendous leadership to the GPCC Board of Directors’ Executive Committee as a business leader who is committed to both the public and private sectors.”

Mills is active with both the business and arts communities. Under his leadership, PNC is an annual sponsor of the GPCC Excellence Awards, which honors the region’s best small businesses, and the annual GPCC Paradigm Award, which honors a woman business leader whose outstanding professional and personal achievements serve as a model for success. In addition, PNC was a lead sponsor of the opening of the Barnes and, through its “PNC Arts Alive” initiative, PNC and Mills support numerous regional arts programs and organizations, including the Arts and Business Council of Greater Philadelphia, a GPCC affiliate. He also is a past chairman of the Philadelphia Museum of Art Corporate Executive Board.

Mills has also contributed his leadership to early childhood education and employee volunteerism through PNC Grow Up Great. The $350 million, multi-year, bilingual initiative began in 2004 to help prepare children from birth to age 5 for success in school and life. The program has served 1.5 million children and supported the creation of six preschool libraries in the region.

Also in the education field, Mills is a past chairman of the Business Leaders Organized for Catholic Schools, or BLOCS, an independent non-profit organization committed to providing children with access to Catholic school education in the Philadelphia.

“It’s an honor to be recognized among such an esteemed group of business leaders who have contributed to Philadelphia’s growth and success,” Mills said. “Living and working in Philadelphia opened the door to countless possibilities for me. The opportunity to return that generosity to my adopted hometown’s business and community organizations is a wonderful personal and professional experience.”